The Revenge for Rapscallions
by nocturnal-anonymous
Summary: Lord Snowstripe, Badger Lord of Salamandastron, plans a mighty revenge for the Rapscallions that took his sister Melanius as prisoner. Watch out, you nasty vermin... (this was for a school project.max was 5pgs long, double spaced...so its kind of crammed.
1. Lynette

"Wake up, longears, time for breakfast!" Justine the roving hedgehog called to her sleeping friend Callista, who was lying comfortably under a sweet- smelling apple tree.  
  
Callista immediately woke up at the mention of breakfast and rushed to the tree stump where Justine was preparing potato salads for her friend and herself. Without saying "Good morning", she wolfed down the entire bowl of salad set before her and asked with her mouth full, "Mmfh?"  
  
Justine answered, "Sorry, no seconds. We're running out of potatoes.I don't know why every night I find some missing."  
  
Suddenly Callista pushed Justine and herself flat down on the ground into a bush as a spear whizzed past her ear.  
  
A gruff voice about 5 feet away questioned menacingly, "Who's eatin' away mewily on my tewitowy?"  
  
Justine peeked out of the bush and saw that the animal was actually just a baby badger playing around with some blunt spears. She cleared her throat and growled deeply, "Get outta here, ya lil badgey, or we'll roast ya and toast ya and eat ya chubby arms and legs!"  
  
The badger babe swallowed visibly, then puffed out her chest and shouted back, "I not afwaid of you nasty vermin! I gonna fight to da death like my papa told me to! Eulaliaaaaaaaaaaa!  
  
The two friends rushed out of the bush just in time to save the badger from falling into the stream nearby.  
  
"Hold your horses, there, little one," Justine grunted as she tried to stop the badger from waving her spear crazily about.  
  
Callista studied the young badger's face and stated solemnly, "This scoundrel is Lord Snowstripe's daughter, Lynette. From all the tales I've heard, this little rascal has perfect aim, especially with spears."  
  
Lynette looked up at the girls and demanded, "Are you good guys?"  
  
Justine chuckled. "If we were bad guys, we'd have eaten you already!"  
  
Lynette looked up at them with her big solemn brown eyes and pleaded, "Please take me bak to my papa, bak to Salamandastron. You know where zat is, rite?  
  
"Of course we do," Callista assured Lynette. "Don't worry about it, little scoundrel, we'll bring you home as fast as we can."  
  
Justine agreed. "Right then, Callista, you lead the way."  
  
Callista smiled disarmingly and said, "My brain is a little fuzzy right now, and I can't exactly remember where Salamandastron is. Perhaps a little of your best cooking will spice my brain up a little bit more." 


	2. In Salamandastron

Meanwhile, in Salamandastron, every able-bodied and willing perilous beast in the land was preparing for war. Almost the entire artillery of weapons, usually hidden away in one of the deep chambers of the castle, was split up into the hands of hard working soldiers drilling under the hot sun, and more importantly, under the sharp eyes of their commanders. Lord Snowstripe stood on his bedroom balcony in his castle, towering above all the other creatures performing their tasks down below. He suddenly saw a small figure rush out of the bushes into the open area where the soldiers were drilling. It was a little badger girl that had the same distinctive upturned nose as he did and the same radiant pearly black eyes as his wife had. The little girl had come to see what all the excitement was all about, and Lord Snowstripe gradually realized that the little badger was his daughter!  
  
Surprised at the sudden return of his little girl Lynette, Lord Snowstripe practically flew down the castle stairs, followed closely by his wife Lucinda, and they both embraced their daughter tightly. All the soldiers stopped drilling and rushed to the scene. "Precious darling," Snowstripe wept, "where have you been? Papa's been so worried about you!"  
  
Lynette kissed her papa's cheek soundly, then turned around and waved her hand to Justine and Callista. Lady Lucinda went over to greet them, and invited them to stay for supper. Callista smacked her lips soundly, and Justine agreed that it was a dream come true to be a guest at a Salamandastron feast.  
  
During the feast, Justine and Callista stuffed themselves with the delicious delicacies that the superb cooks had made for the special occasion of finding Lynette until they felt they would burst. As everyone gradually finished their meal, Lord Snowstripe called a meeting of his commanders, his wife Lucinda, Lynette, and Justine and Callista.  
  
During the meeting, Justine and Callista learned about the rivalry between Lord Snowstripe and a new Rapscallion leader sea rat named Dima Nero. Lord Snowstripe's sister Melanius was originally the official Badger Lady, and Snowstripe, being younger, was his sister's best counselor. During a bloody battle three years ago, Dima Nero had captured Lady Melanius. Joining forces with Redwall, Salamandastron won the battle, but Lady Melanius was still a captive. Recently, a Rapscallion thief sent by Dima Nero had stolen one hundred ancient gold coins, extremely special to Salamandastron. The thief had also kidnapped Lynette, but halfway along the trail back to the Rapscallion campgrounds, Lynette gently urged her spear out of the sleeping thief's pocket, cut away the ropes that were binding her with the spear, and slipped away during the night. Now, Lord Snowstripe was going to launch a surprise attack on the Rapscallion army he had been planning for the past three years. The Badger Lord had now over 700 willing animals, including the Redwall army, to fight for him.  
  
"I'm in it for your side, sir," Justine stated grimly.  
  
"And I'm in it for your side, ma'am," added Callista.  
  
With fire burning in her eyes, Lady Lucinda declared, "So it is. Let us destroy the evil Rapscallion forces once and for all!" 


	3. Dima Nero's Chamber

In the cold and gloomy night, Dima Nero was sleeping fitfully, tossing and turning in his bed. He was having a dream about a fight with a powerful Badger Lord. The badger was towering above him when suddenly an arrow pierced the badger's shoulder. Then almost as suddenly, a spear made perfect aim and pierced his chest.  
  
"Help.help!!!! Noooooo!!!!" Dima Nero screamed.  
  
"Lie still, sir, while I remove this thistle from your chest." His counselor, Aradia, a fat stoat, bent down towards the Firstblade of the Rapscallions to take out the thistle.  
  
Dima Nero rolled over and flung out his left arm, sending the unlucky Aradia flying to the other side of the room to crash into the pile broken skulls of Dima Nero's enemies.  
  
"What.are you doing.in my room?" the angry sea rat hissed.  
  
"Well, sir, you called for help, so I." stuttered the terrified stoat.  
  
"Get out before I rip your body apart!" Dima Nero shouted.  
  
Aradia needed no second warning. In terror, the stoat fled from the room and shut the door just in time before a skull smashed into the door after her.  
  
"I don't need anyone's help! I am almighty! I am all powerful! I, Dima Nero, can rule the universe without any help from you idiotic vermin! Yet...somewhere in his mind, his confidence was shaken. He knew.that the badger.and the spear.were coming closer. 


	4. The Battle

Finally, a week passed. The sky was a brilliant blood red and a feeling of uncertainty hung in the air. Salamandastron's forces had combined with Redwall forces and were ready for battle. Dima Nero's one thousand vermin slaves were all standing in straight rows, looking smart and sharp in their uniforms. Lord Snowstripe had a feeling that he would be able to save his sister and have a wonderful victory celebration back home at Redwall. Dima Nero was confident the number of his troops alone was enough to shatter any opponent's courage.  
  
"Let me look upon your face, sea rat!" Lord Snowstripe shouted towards the opposing army.  
  
"Not until I look upon yours, stripedog!" Dima Nero retorted.  
  
Lord Snowstripe merely grunted. "First, let me show you something!" He fit an arrow to his bow and let it fly. It shot down one of the rats in the front ranks, and the rat fell with an agonizing cry. As always, the Badger Lord of Salamandastron had started the war.  
  
The warriors of Salamandastron broke down the front ranks of the Rapscallion army quickly, while Redwall archers moved quickly around the bulk of the two armies and picked off as many vermin as they could. Then, suddenly, the Salamandastron and Redwall fighters moved back into the circle of archers at the sound of three shrill whistles from Lord Snowstripe. The Rapscallions were surrounded!  
  
While the warriors closed in on their enemy, Justine and Callista were sent with a small band of fighters to go and find Lady Melanius inside the castle. There were, surprisingly, only three lazy dozing guards at the door of Melanius's dungeon. The rescue team quickly slew them, took the keys from one of the dead guards, and helped the Badger Lady out of the prison.  
  
Lady Melanius, once so strong and beautiful, was now thin and had 3 years of torture etched on her frail body. Yet, still, once she was out of the prison cell, fire burned in her eyes, and after Justine and Callista fed her some food and told her of the battle, Lady Melanius was ready for war. She insisted that the girls help her find the hardwood stick given to her by her father, Lord Russano. They found it hidden in one of the storage rooms that the Rapscallion armies had for keeping their loot. Callista opened the door with one of the keys on the key ring they took from the guard. Justine, Callista, and Melanius armed themselves well with the loot that the Rapscallions took and took back the one hundred precious golden coins. Then they all went out of the Rapscallion castle to see what became of the battle. 


	5. The OneOnOne Combat

Dima Nero had sensed that his army was going to lose, so he made a bargain with Lord Snowstripe. Dima Nero wanted to battle against Lord Snowstripe one on one. Each animal could only choose one weapon to use. Though many Redwallers and animals from Salamandastron warned the badger to say no, Lord Snowstripe agreed to the match.  
  
Lady Melanius went over to her brother and handed him her hardwood stick. "This stick will serve you well. You can decide whether or not to use it on Dima Nero. Also keep a close lookout for any tricks," she added. "Dima Nero is the master of trickery."  
  
Snowstripe embraced his sister and promised to keep it safe. He chose the ancient battle sword of Lord Brocktree to bring with him. He was one of the few animals that could handle a sword as great as Lord Brocktree's. He told all of the animals on his side not to worry, especially Lynette, who was crying already.  
  
Dima Nero chose a beautiful bone-handled scimitar that was once the powerful pirate Vilu Daskar's. Aradia gazed fearfully into Dima's eyes while the Firstblade growled, "Take one of my best archers to the top of my castle where nobeast can see them and kill the badger if the fight was going against me. Fail me and I'll make sure you die bit by bit."  
  
Then silence fell upon the packed shore. Lord Snowstripe, clad in a simple blue tunic, went to the center of the arena and lifted the sword in front of his face in a formal salute, but salutes and formalities did not occur in Dima Nero's nature. Emerging with a beautiful copper chestplate and a magnificent spiked helmet, a screeching growl ripped from his throat and he charged. Metal struck metal as the badger met his rush, sending shockwaves through the paws of both beasts. Digging in their footpaws, they bent to the task of trying to push one another backward. Both were male animals in their prime, yet Snowstripe was younger and more agile, and Dima Nero was more tricky and experienced. Dima Nero allowed himself to be thrust back a pace, and then retaliated with a sharp kick to Snonwstripe's shin, sending him skidding across the sand. Then suddenly, Lord Snowstripe lashed out with his gigantic sword and ripped through Dima Nero's copper chestplate. Dima Nero let go of his sword and danced backward. The badger quickly scrambled up, but Nero flung a pawful of sand into his eyes. Snowstripe kicked upwards, catching Dima Nero with a sickening thud on the nose. Nero fell backwards. Snowstripe quickly pawed the sand from his eyes, and from flat on his back, Dima Nero beheld his foe, sword upraised.  
  
"Time for the stripedog to die," Aradia snickered from above. "Let it fly!"  
  
The archer expertly aimed at the Badger Lord's skull, but Lord Snowstripe straightened up so quickly so that the arrow thwacked through his left shoulder, right down to the bone. Fitting another arrow to his bow, the archer pressed the bow to his cheek, concentrating hard. "Dun' worry, I got him this time, ma'am!" The evil rat grinned.  
  
Before he could let it fly, Lady Melanius had already grabbed a javelin out of Callista's hands, and flung it with all her strength, straight towards the rat archer. At the same time, losing control of herself, Lynette flung her spear as hard as her little muscles would allow towards Dima Nero and wailed, "You hurt my papa!"  
  
Both spear and javelin made their mark. Without intending to, the javelin actually cut the bowstring. The archer turned around to show Aradia the bowstring, with the javelin growing out on both sides of his neck, and fell dead on top of her. With a moan of horror, Aradia heaved the body off of her and ran away.  
  
The spear that little Lynette had cast made perfect aim. Though the force of it was not very strong, the spear struck directly into Dima Nero's chest. The scene in his haunting dreams had become true flesh and blood. Letting out a cry that nobeast would forget, Lord Snowstripe pulled the shaft out of his shoulder without a flinch and flung it into Dima Nero's face. The Badger Lord hauled the great sea rat upright until they were touching face to face. Filled with the Bloodwrath, Lord Snowstripe growled, "Now I see your face, Dima Nero! Look upon me!"  
  
The Greatrat looked fearfully into his tormentor's eyes, and one word escaped his mouth before he bled to death from his spear wound, echoing around the silent, crowded shore.  
  
"Mercy!"  
  
Dima Nero crumpled to the ground, in front of Lord Snowstripe's feet.  
  
The Rapscallion captains, not knowing what to do now that their leader was dead, screamed and ran for their lives with the ordinary soldiers. Every evil beast was heading toward the boats ashore. Lady Melanius was the first to react. "Charge!" she screamed.  
  
Like a rumble of thunder, all the animals charged. "Redwaliaaaaaaaaaa!" was the combined cry of Redwallers and Salamandastron animals. It was the last sound that the defeated Rapscallion vermin heard before they met their death. Lady Melanius made sure none escaped, and Lord Snowstripe and his warriors headed back home, satisfied with their great accomplishment and ready for another Salamandastron feast. 


	6. Yet

Yet.somewhere in the darkness and the depths of the castle chambers of the Rapscallions, Aradia the fat stoat was turning more evil and crafty by the second. Breathing the dark musty air of the long forgotten chambers of the ancient Firstblades, she crept out of the castle with evil plans entering her mind, until she was certain she would be able to find herself another army, and lead a royal life of her own. 


End file.
